Ino's Rose
by Fluffy Sheep
Summary: Ino begins to realize that she's jealous of Temari spending a lot of time with Shikamaru. So she takes some measures to make him pay more attention to her, and ends up getting in a bunch of crazy situations. ShikaIno. Mostly humor, with a bit of romance
1. Stuck

Ino watched from the flower shop window as Temari and Shikamaru walked down the road together, talking and smiling.

Her eyes followed them until they were out of sight, having walked around a corner. Both of her fists were clenched and her teeth ground together in a grimace.

"Excuse me" said a lady at the counter, holding up some blue flowers "Do you like these? I was looking for some flowers for my-"

"No I do _not_ like him!" Ino shouted, scowling at the lady. She froze when she saw the stricken look on the lady's face, coming back to reality. "I mean...sorry, I wasn't paying attention. Yeah, those are lovely. They'd look good with these" She pointed to some other flowers that matched the ones in the lady's hand.

"Oh, you're right, they do!" They lady smiled, and picked up some of those too. Then she handed them to Ino "I'll take these. Would you cut them for me?"

"Sure" Ino said, taking the flowers and picking up the sheers from behind the counter. Her mind wandered again as she began to size up the flower stems with the wrapping the lady had picked out to go with them.

_Stupid Temari _she thought _Coming here and just taking Shikamaru. He's my friend, not hers! She can't just spend all his time like that!_

She began mumbling to herself, unaware of the stare she was getting from the woman across the counter. Then she started hacking at the flower stems, far more violently then necessary.

"Ahem" the woman cleared her throat, probably a little worried for Ino's sanity.

"Oh...uh" Ino said "Sorry...I..." She gave up on trying to make an explanation, and put the flowers in the paper, handing them to the woman. She paid and quickly left without another word. Ino put the sheers back behind the counter and then rested her forehead against the cool wood.

"Whoops" she said aloud to herself. That was the third costumer she had scared today. What was with her? It wasn't like she liked Shikamaru, so why was this making her so mad?

She sighed and lifted her head. No use moping around. She had to step up her game and show Temari that she was Shikamaru's best girl friend, not her.

And by girlfriend, she most certainly, definitely, meant friend that was a girl.

Shaking her head, she concentrated on watching the shop, trying to take her mind off things by thinking about what flowers would look nice with other ones, and which ones would be best for certain occasions.

For example, you wouldn't give your grandma a red rose, because they symbolize romantic love. And, you wouldn't give someone in the hospital a potted plant, because it's bad luck.

_Maybe I should give him a flower, to remind him that I'm his friend, not her._ Ino thought, staring around at the flowers in the shop _But they have to mean something..._

Ino came out from behind the counter and browsed around the shop, searching for a flower that she could give to Shikamaru.

"An ivy flower would be ideal, because it symbolizes friendship. But ivy usually goes with another flower..." she murmured to herself "Maybe a yellow rose. They sometimes symbolize..."

Ino broke off as she realized the meaning of the flower described what she had been feeling all along, without realizing it.

Jealousy.

She cut the flowers, and put them in a little vase, arranging them so that the ivy surrounded the rose. When she finished, she put the money for them in the cash register. Her dad usually told her to tell him if she wanted anything from the shop, but she figured it was best she didn't tell him. He might get the wrong idea and think she liked him. Which she didn't.

Right?

* * *

Ino held the vase tightly between her fingers as she walked to Shikamaru's house.

_Hah...This'll show him who his best friend really is _Ino thought, smiling slightly to herself. _I'm probably just overreacting anyways..._

She stopped on the front step of his house and knocked on the door with one hand, clutching the vase in the other. As soon as her fist made the first two knocks on the door, however, she started having second thoughts. What if he got the wrong idea? What if he figured out what the yellow rose meant? What if he thinks I like him or something? What if -

Shikamaru's mom, Yoshino Nara, opened the door then, and Ino quickly hid the vase behind her back.

"Ino?" she said "What a nice surprise! I guess you're looking for Shikamaru?"

"Uh...yeah" Ino said, unsure of what to say should Yoshino ask her what she was looking for him for.

"Oh, he isn't here right now" she said, oblivious to Ino's nervousness. "I think he's out on a date with that Temari girl from Suna" She looked past Ino thoughtfully.

But Ino's heart nearly dropped out of her chest.

A _date? _He was_ dating _her?

This most definitely meant _war._

"Date..." Ino said, then composed herself "Uh...right! Sure! Thanks! Maybe I'll come back later! Bye, Yoshino -san!"

"Bye, Ino" she said, and shut the door.

Ino looked down at the vase in her hands and frowned.

Looks like ivy wasn't quite good enough after all.

_Maybe I do like him _she thought _I mean, I feel so bad now. What does he see in her over me? But this isn't over. I'm not done..._

She ran into the forest, holding the vase in her left hand as she picked up speed.

_Gah, Shikamaru you idiot. Now look what I'm doing. Running into the forest full speed ahead, looking for a red rose bush._

"Pink roses...white roses...oh come on, it's gotta be here somewhere" she muttered to herself "Ah hah! There they are!"

She bent and stared at them for nearly five minutes before picking the one she liked best.

"This one bloomed the nicest." she said, then pulled out one of the extra kunai she liked to keep with her and cut the stem to fit the glass vase "I'll only choose one...now" She turned to the flowers already in the vase and pulled them out.

"What do I do with these?" she asked herself, looking at the flowers "Uh...er..." She looked in several directions before tossing them in the trees in frustration, slightly annoyed about wasting the yen.

Then she headed back to Shikamaru's house, a plan forming in her mind.

_A secret admirer is so much more interesting than a pineapple leaf head. _

This time, she skipped the front door, and jumped right into his bedroom window, which was luckily open. She stopped to listen, but couldn't hear anything except Shikamaru's mom walking around downstairs. There wasn't any other footsteps to be heard, so she relaxed and began looking for a place to put the flowers.

Ino hadn't been in Shikamaru's room since she was a kid. She still ate at his house with Choji and their dads for dinner sometimes, but they didn't play in here like they used to. The room was fairly untidy, which made sense. She pictured Shikamaru telling his mom it was too troublesome to tidy up and then taking nap instead. The mental picture her made her smile.

After pretending to walk into the room four times to see what your eyes would rest on first, she decided on the table by the window. Careful to arrange the flower so that it was facing whoever might be standing by the table, she stepped back, just about to leave.

Until she heard footsteps, right outside the room.

"Gak!" she said, panicking and running towards the window.

She stuck her head out first, preparing to jump, until she saw Shikamaru and Temari right underneath the window.

"GAK!" she said again, shouting this time. Waving her hands over her head in a panic, she dashed into the closet. The main door opened just as she had shut the closet door. Ino put one hand over her racing heart, panting.

"Hello?" came the voice of Shikamaru's mom "I thought I heard someone in here..."

Ino backed up to the very back of the closet and stayed as quiet as possible.

"Hmm...Guess not, then" she said to herself. Then, below, came the sound of the front door opening "...Oh, Shikamaru is home. I don't even have anything for dinner." She sighed in a sort of exasperated way, and walked back out of the room.

Ino let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. With a sharp shake of her head, she got a hold of herself, and dashed for the door. She slid it open half an inch and peeked out, ready to speed across the room and jump out the window before someone else came into the room.

Before she could, though, she saw Temari climbing in through the window. Ino ground her teeth together in frustration and anger. She _had_ to ruin everything, didn't she? Ino watched as Temari looked around the room, raising an eyebrow at the mess. Then her eyes rested on the rose, and she smiled. Ino's eyebrows knit together as she watched Temari stare at it, looking transfixed.

Then the main door opened again, and Ino jumped back from the closet door.

"Mom's gone to the market, she should be back in half an hour or so" came Shikamaru's voice "Until then, the house is empty except for us"

"Okay" Temari answered "Hey, nice rose. You have good taste in flowers"

"Rose? I didn't put a rose in here"

"Well there's one there, see?"

"Oh, you're right. Wonder where that came from" Shikamaru yawned, unconcerned. Ino scowled. She had been hoping for something at least a little more excited.

"So" Temari said "I see you keep things in order."

"Yeah, I know, it's messy." Shikamaru said. Ino heard the sounds of him sitting down on the bed "But it's way too troublesome to clean"

"You should, you know" Temari said, sitting down as well "After all, you never know when a girl might come in here"

"No girls come in here" Shikamaru replied "So no worries"

"_I'm _in here now" Temari said, a little irritated "And _I'm_ a girl"

"Oh...yeah...but..." he said uneasily "I...don't need to impress you, do I?"

"I think you do" Temari said and Ino could here the smile in her voice "I think I know of something you can do too..."

"...Subtle as a rhino" Shikamaru said, barely audible to Ino. Everything was fairly quiet then, and Ino peeked out through the crack between the door and the wall.

Then she blanched.

They were kissing.

Her heart pounded with a pain stronger then any pain that had ever been inflicted on her by a boy before. It was worse than when she found out that Sakura was on the same team as Sasuke. Much worse. Most people would assume that meant "more tears" or "more suffering," but to Ino, it was different.

To Ino, it meant more determination.

She was going to win him. And that was it. Pineapple Head had no _right_...she had no-

Before Ino could think anything else, she was hit by a wave of anger which tackled her like a football player, and was stronger than an ox.

Trying to stay silent, Ino threw a massive fit of rage, mouthing silent words -some rather colorful- and waving her fists around in silence. As the silence from Shikamaru and Temari stretched on, Ino's rage grew, and soon the movements of her arms became more violent. They evolved into strangling, stabbing, shaking and punching movements.

_If we were in battle, I'd clobber her so hard! If we were in battle, I'd show her who really belongs with Shikamaru. If we were in battle, I'd take over her mind and make her-_

Ino cut herself off mid thought, freezing with her arms raised in the air, stopping in the middle of her chopping motion. An idea was forming in her head.

"Your kissing is not too bad...but..." Temari said. Ino snapped out of her thoughts and lowered her arms, listening again.

"Heh, Thanks, Ino"

Everything froze.

Ino froze all over again, this time in a normal pose. The silence from the main part of the room was becoming deadly. However, Ino couldn't help put feel her lips curl inward, suppressing a smile and smothering a laugh.

"My name is Temari" Temari said slowly, her words coated in ice.

"I-I know! I just...I'm sorry, I mixed up the name! She's my teammate, it's understandable, isn't it? I mean, I work with her every day!" Shikamaru sounded almost scared.

Another silence followed, and Ino found herself pressing both palms over her mouth to keep from laughing.

"I'll let it slide" Temari said finally "This time"

"Uh...okay" Shikamaru said "Sorry about that..."

"Let's just never mention it again, all right?"

Ino peered through the crack in time to see Shikamaru nodding. She looked away, not wanting to see in case they kissed again. Instead, she controlled herself, and crouched down on the floor, trying to find a position where she could just see Temari, without being too close to the door and wouldn't make much noise after being rendered unconscious. After a few minutes of rooting around, she found a good position and began to initiate her jutsu.

_Take this, Pineapple Head! ShintenShin no jutsu!_

As always, there was a brief, strange sensation of being nowhere, which lasted less than a second before her consciousness entered Temari's body. Her back arched and she felt a look of surprise on her face before she composed her features again.

"Temari? Are you okay?" Shikamaru asked, looking at her strangely, full of suspicion.

"I'm fine, I just..." _damn it, damn, what am I supposed to say?!_ "Had a strange pain...in my...foot..."

"...Ahh..." Shikamaru glanced down at her foot, his eyebrows knitting together.

"But it's fine now! It's okay!"

Shikamaru frowned, then leaned forward. Ino leaned forward too, then a thought crossed her mind that _really _should have come up before.

Did she really wanna have her first kiss in Pineapple Head's body?

Moving without thinking, she jerked away, arching her back like before.

"OW!" she shouted "There's that odd pain again. Gosh, that's weird."

"Isn't it?" Shikamaru said, sarcasm filling his voice. He moved even further forward, and Ino backed up nervously. But he withdrew a moment later, holding the rose in his hand. "Wonder where this came from..." he wondered out loud.

"Someone real pretty and special, I bet" Ino said, then remembered to concentrate on the task at hand - getting Temari out of here "OW!" she shouted again.

"What the heck, Temari?" Shikamaru said, frowning again and looking at her foot.

"I should leave...I mean...to take care of my strange foot, and all."

"It was your idea to come back here" Shikamaru pointed out "You should know by now I'm not stupid. What the heck is going on?"

"Sorry, I'm just not feeling well" Ino said, making a bad excuse "I think...I should just...well, actually..."

"Oh! My mom is back!" Shikamaru said suddenly, jumping up from the bed "You really should get going, after all. So, I'll see you later?"

"No" Ino said, far too quickly, "I mean...you_ could_...you might...but I don't know. With my...ankle and all"

"Uh huh. I thought it was your foot?"

"Oh my gosh! It's spreading! I really better leave now, huh?" With that, Ino turned to jump out the window, only to stop upon sticking her head out the window for the second time that day. Shikaku, Shikamaru's dad, was outside in the yard, looking tired after returning from a mission.

"Gak!" Ino said, jumping back inside the room and backing up.

"I guess you could just wait around here till he moves" Shikamaru said "My mom probably won't come up here anyways"

"Shikamaru?" came Yoshino's voice from outside in the hall "Are you talking to yourself in there?"

Ino jumped violently, and fled into the closet, careful not to let Shikamaru see her real body near the back, and slid the door shut.

"No, Mom, I just...uh...found this flower in here" he said, looking at the flower in his hand as Yoshino came into the room "Do you know where it came from?"

"No, I haven't seen it before" she answered "It's nice though. Is it from that Temari girl?"

"No...Course not."

"Well, maybe you have a secret admirer" she said, laughing slightly, then she turned serious "Now will you clean up this room?!"

"Geez, you even nag me when you're joking around" Shikamaru complained as she left the room again. Ino slid open the door carefully, inching out so that you couldn't see into the closet.

"Gosh, that was close" she said, shutting the door again, but being careful to leave a tiny crack open like before "I really better leave now"

"Yeah" Shikamaru agreed lazily "Later"

Ino then jumped out the window and ran into the woods, panting. That was close. But at least she got Temari away from Shikamaru. But the problems weren't over yet... Once she was deep enough into the forest, she leaned against a tree, and then finished her jutsu.

_Kai! Release!_

Again, there was a strange sensation of being nowhere for a moment, a little longer than before, until she returned to her own body. She woke up with a pain in her neck, having slightly miscalculated the way she would fall, but ignored it. There were bigger problems now.

Like, say, getting out of Shikamaru's freaking _closet._

As quietly as she could, she stood up, peeking out the door. Shikamaru was lying on his bed with his eyes shut, but Ino didn't dare move yet, knowing that he was a master at pretending to sleep, especially if he didn't want to do something or was suspicious about something.

Which, he had to be now, since Temari had seemed to have a mood swing so fast she could've had multiple personality disorder.

So Ino stayed silent, peeking out through the closet door, watching Shikamaru. A good time later, Yoshino finally called him for dinner, and Shikamaru sighed and left the room.

Ino let out a sigh of relief and slid open the closet door, glancing from side to side and then closing it the way she had it before. Hurrying, before anything _else _happened, she rushed to the window and jumped out, sticking to the side of the house with chakra. She walked down the side, concentrating so that she wouldn't slip; and she didn't...until she remembered something.

Shikamaru's room was right over the dining room, where the family was currently eating dinner.

"Shoot!" Ino said out loud, and then nearly fell off the side of the house. With a tough concentration, she narrowly avoided panic and found herself upside down...

...looking right into the dining room window.

Shikaku and Shikamaru were sitting on either side of the table, facing each other, sideways to her. Ino flinched, hoping against hope that they wouldn't see her.

In fact, she was so worried that either of them would see her, she almost didn't notice that Yoshino was staring right at her, from the far end of the table where she sat. Her mouth was slightly agape in surprise, but the other two didn't seem to notice.

Desperate now, Ino shot her a pleading look and mouthed the word "help". Yoshino gave her a strange look, and Ino bit her lip, wondering what she was about to do.

_BANG!_ Ino slapped her hands over her mouth as Yoshino toppled backwards off her chair. Her son and husband jumped up, shouting things like 'are you okay?!' and 'what just happened!?'

_Thank you, thank you, Yoshino-san! I'll explain all this later!_

With that, Ino flipped over, landing a little ungracefully on the ground with a thud. Then she stood up and didn't stop running until she was far into the forest. Then she paused to pant, sinking down and sitting on the ground in front of a tree.

Then she burst out laughing.

"Ah ha, ah, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!" She laughed "I have a pain in my foot! Ah, ha, ha, ha, ha...poor Yoshino-san, I wonder if she's okay? Ah, ha, ha, ha...Oh...hah...I'm never giving anyone flowers secretly again...ah, ha, ha...hoo..."

She finally sobered, and then decided to head home.

* * *

"Ino?" her father said when she walked through the door "Where were you?"

"I was...on an adventure..."

"Uh...oh" Inoichi said, looking at the floor and frowning in confusion. But Ino left quickly and went upstairs, not wanting him to ask any more questions. Besides, she had some more planning to do.

This wasn't over yet.


	2. Compassion

Two days later, Ino set off for Shikamaru's house once again. She knew Shikamaru had a mission in the afternoon and she could talk to Yoshino privately. Lingering on the doorstep for a moment, Ino patted her hair and knocked softly on the door.

"Hi, Yoshino-san" Ino said with a smile when she opened the door "Can I talk to you? I want to explain about what happened a few days ago..."

"I daresay you should!" Yoshino said, raising her eyebrows "I'm here alone now, so come on in" She stepped aside and beckoned Ino in.

"Are you hungry? Thirsty?" She offered, seating Ino at the kitchen table. Ino shook her head politely and waited for Yoshino to sit down.

"Okay, first thing, thank you" Ino said "I mean, I would've had my cover blown if it wasn't for you. You weren't hurt were you?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine. It was no problem." Yoshino said "I figured it was you who left the rose, and you just got stuck or something. So what's the story? I want to hear everything!"

Ino remembered the slightly revised version she had come up with in her head, leaving out the terrible love triangle she was stuck in. But something about the kind way Yoshino was speaking to her, the friendly way she was acting, like the two of them were really best friends, made Ino change her mind. She hadn't had a best friend since Sakura had declared them rivals, and she hadn't realized how much she missed it until now.

So she took a deep breath, and told her everything.

Yoshino listened intently, commenting here and there, nodding in understanding and laughing at the silly parts. She was a good person to talk to.

"Tell you what, Ino" Yoshino said when Ino finished explaining "I'm going to make some tea, and then we're gonna come up with a plan"

"Really?" Ino repeated, a little bewildered.

"Really!" Yoshino said happily "You're such a sweet girl, Ino. You're the kind of girl I'd want for my son. That's why I tipped over in my chair and made a fool of myself for you."

Ino laughed softly and waited for Yoshino to make tea. When she came back, she placed two cups in front of each of them and a pot in the middle.

"I didn't tell you this before, but I will now" she started, taking a sip of her tea "When I told you Shikamaru was on a date, I was kidding. I've been after him about whether or not he was dating that girl for a week or so now, and it was still on my mind. If I had known what you were feeling-"

"It's okay Yoshino-san. I might not have realized what I really felt if it wasn't for you" Ino said, tracing her fingertips across the warm teacup.

"All right then. So, they really must be dating after all, considering what you've seen. However..." She paused to sip her tea again "You must be on his mind, if he called her Ino" She smiled, unable to help herself, and Ino joined in.

"So, what we need to do is make him realize that I'm the one for him?"

"That's right! I'll help you. I'll suggest that the rose is probably from you, is that okay? Then, if he asks you about it-"

"I don't know" Ino said, cheeks reddening "It's kind of..."

"Embarrassing?" Yoshino supplied. Ino nodded "That's true. I suppose it really would be"

"Yes...But I'm not giving up. Not this time. Never. This is a strong feeling. I know I can win this, and I know I belong with him." She paused, a realization coming to her "Yoshino...I _love_ Shikamaru"

"You _do_?" came a voice behind them. Ino jumped violently, snapping her head up. Shikaku stood there, one eyebrow raised, staring at Ino. Embarrassment sinking in, Ino turned red and lowered her eyes.

_Why do I have such bad luck with this stupid house? What's the darn thing got against me, anyways? I mean, my timing is _so _screwed up..._

"Shikaku" Yoshino barked, making Ino jump for a second time "_Sit_"

She pointed to the chair she herself had been in when she toppled over, looking strict with her mouth in a thin line. The man's eyes widened, looking at his wife, who kept staring him down. After a moment, he quickly obliged and sat in the chair.

"If you say a word of what you've heard here" Yoshino said sternly "There will be consequences. Quite unlike any you've ever seen. I'm quite serious. Ino has taken an interest in our boy, and I'm going to help her out. You got that?"

There was a moment of silence in which Ino stared wide eyed at the couple, and Shikaku looked at his wife in bewilderment.

"Yes ma'am" he said finally "But Inoichi's gonna kill me if he finds out..."

"I'll take care of Inoichi if I have to" Yoshino said, still scowling. Ino couldn't help but smile at her.

"Geez woman, he isn't even your husband" Shikaku said, resting his chin in his palm and sighing a little before closing his eyes and going silent. Yoshino ignored that comment.

"That's how you handle em" she said, winking at Ino. Ino grinned, recalling times in the past when she had 'handled' Shikamaru.

"I know that grin" Yoshino added "You already know how to do that, don't you? You're a great girl, Ino-chan"

"Thank you" Ino said, smiling at the nickname. She hadn't called Ino that since she was a kid. It was nice to be called it again, out of closeness instead of respect this time. Thinking of a good story about her 'handling' she opened her mouth to tell it, but was interrupted.

"Ino? What are you doing here?" came Shikamaru's voice. Yoshino and Shikaku turned around to look at him, frowning in thought at Ino, sitting at his dining room table.

"She's staying for dinner" Yoshino said before anyone else could say anything.

"She is?" Shikamaru said "You didn't tell me that"

"It was a spontaneous decision" Yoshino said, not lying in the slightest. Then she gave her husband a sharp, pointed look. He flinched, and had to think a moment before saying something.

"Yeah, I think I'll go ask Inoichi to stay too." he said, lazily getting up and heading out the door. Shikamaru frowned slightly, watching him leave. "Choza is on a mission. Besides, he and Choji ate the whole fridge last time they were here." He smiled a little to show it was just a joke.

"So what are we having for dinner, anyway?" he said, retrieving a teacup and sitting down in the chair his father had just left.

"Uhh...Ino was just helping me decide that" Yoshino said "What do you think, Ino?"

"Oh" Ino said, slightly taken aback at the sudden attention "How about something like mackerel?"

"Hey, that's my favorite! Let's have that!" Shikamaru said, smiling at Ino.

_I thought so... _

Yoshino tossed Ino a look, with a slight smirk, that clearly said "smooth move."

"Nice suggestion, Ino" Yoshino said, standing up and walking towards the kitchen "Shikamaru, you keep Ino entertained while I make it"

"Uh..sure, Mom" he said, probably wondering at the over-stern tone in her voice. Ino looked away, staring at the leaves in the bottom of her cup. With an audible slurp, Shikamaru finished his own tea "Come on, Ino" he said, standing up and beckoning her upstairs.

Ino glanced at Yoshino before heading up the stairs. Yoshino winked and mouthed 'You're winning'. Ino grinned, fresh determination filling her heart and giving her new energy.

"I'm coming" Ino said in a sing song voice before bounding up the stairs after him. He led her to his room and shut the door with a sigh before plopping down on the bed lazily. Ino glanced around, a little unsure of where to go amongst the mess, with Shikamaru stretched across the bed as he was.

_Don't act shy, stupid! Pull it together Ino! Be bold!_

She frowned a little, brushing aside dirty clothes with her feet, trying to find a place to sit. With a sigh, she bent down, clearing away the junk littering the floor. Shikamaru watched her for a minute before sitting up slightly and leaning over the side of the bed.

"Here" he said "Sorry it's so messy...It's troublesome to clean" With that, he attacked a pile of dirty clothes next to the bed, tossing it haphazardly to the other end of the room, attempting to make a clear space on the floor for Ino to sit.

"There" he said, after flinging things around for several moments. "You can sit there" Ino didn't answer "Ino?" he twisted around to look at her.

She had several pieces of Shikamaru's dirty clothes on her, and around her feet.

"You...really should clean up in here" She said, taking a tshirt off her head. "But you're aim is good. I'm pretty sure everything you threw hit me"

"Ah ha...Sorry" Shikamaru said, smiling sheepishly. Ino smiled back and sat down, stepping over the pile of clothes at her feet.

"Pretty rose" Ino said, jumping into conversation quickly "Who's it from?"

"I don't know" Shikamaru said, lying on his side and resting his head in his palm "It was here in my room when I came home a couple days ago"

"Oh, really? You know, roses stand for love, so a rose given in secret stands for untold love. Isn't that romantic?"

"Hnn" Shikamaru muttered, shutting his eyes

"Hey! You should be paying more attention, Shikamaru!" Ino growled, scowling "Anyway, who do yo think gave it to you?"

"I don't know" Shikamaru said, lazily.

"Someone pretty?"

"I said I don't-"

"Someone nice?"

"Ino, I just said-"

"Someone strong?"

"Geez, woman-"

"Someone-" Ino was cut off when Shikamaru clamped her lips together between his thumb and finger. She couldn't help but feel heat rise to her cheeks, especially when he leaned in closer.

"I said, I don't know. But I'm not too bad at figuring stuff out. So I think I'll try to figure out who left it." he said. Ino nodded, and he let go of her lips.

There was a moment of silence, and then Ino decided to press on.

"Was it Temari?" she asked, her voice unintentionally quieter than usual.

"Huh?" Shikamaru said, taken aback "No, why does everyone think that?"

"...Aren't you dating her?"

"No! Why does everyone think that?!"

"Well, you did kiss her!"

Shikamaru fell silent, and Ino stopped, her eyes growing wide.

_I'm going to kick myself._

"...What was that, Ino?" he said, gazing at her thoughtfully, suspicion in his eyes.

"Nothing" Ino said, looking away, towards the window, attempting to avoid his gaze.

"Ino" he said, taking her chin in his hand and turning her head towards him "Look at me. How would you know that? No...never mind...just let me explain. Temari and I-"

"_Unhand my daughter!_" Inoichi shouted, bursting into the room so fast that Ino screamed in surprise and jumped backwards, falling into a pile of random things on the floor. Shikamaru shot up into a sitting position, looking wide eyed and surprised.

"Inoichi-san! I didn't...I wasn't...wait a second-"

"My little girl is too young to be in alone with a boy like this! What were you thinking, Ino? And _you_ boy! When I get my hands on you...!"

"Wait, Inoichi!" Shikaku said, running into the room "Aren't you overreacting a little? I'm sure Shikamaru didn't have any wrong intentions"

"My little princess!" Inoichi ignored him, "I'll show you!" Suddenly he ran after Shikamaru, who jumped off the bed and backed up, looking more surprised than scared.

"Daddy!" Ino scolded. "Knock it off!" But he didn't listen to her and kept advancing. Shikamaru backed up further, knocking into the table by the window. The rose in the glass vase teetered on the edge, wobbling back and forth before tipping completely and cascading towards the floor.

"My rose!" Ino cried, jumping over the table and catching it, knocking several things off it in the process.

"_Your_ rose?" Shikamaru said, turning around to look at Ino, who was lying across the table with the vase clutched in both hands.

"_Your _rose?" Inoichi repeated, forgetting his tirade for the moment.

"Ino, I really think you need to explain-"

"Hey! What's going on up here?!" Yoshino demanded, coming into the room. She glared around before her eyes rested on Inoichi "Inoichi! What do you think you're doing?"

"I was just coming to my little princess's rescue..."

"I don't think so." Yoshino said, grabbing him by the ear. "You're coming with me." She turned to leave, still dragging Inoichi by the ear. On her way out, she grabbed her husband's ear with her free hand.

"Ah! Hey, I didn't do anything!" he complained before Yoshino dragged him out and shut the door behind her.

Everything was silent for a moment, before Shikamaru turned back to Ino, who was still lying on her stomach across the table.

"I think...you broke my clock." he said. Ino glanced down to see that his alarm clock was on the floor, face down, not bothering to emit a ticking sound anymore.

"Ah...sorry" she said, struggling to get up.

"Hey, don't try to leave, you need to explain yourself. Did you leave the rose here?"

"No, I wasn't leaving, I was just-"

"_Explain_" he pressed, sitting on the bed across from her. Ino sighed and shifted in place, trying to make her weird position more comfortable. After a minute of shifting, she looked up at Shikamaru. He raised an eyebrow expectantly.

"Honestly?" she began "Yeah, I left the rose here. I was...jealous...because you spend so much time with Temari now. I wanted to show you that I'm still your friend, you know?"

"With a red rose?"

"Er..well...on with the story..." Ino said, avoiding the question. Then she launched into a explanation of what she had done, leaving out the part about realizing she liked Shikamaru as more than a friend and throwing her previously bought flowers into the trees. When she finished, she took a deep breath and looked at Shikamaru expectantly.

"You were in my closet?" he said "All that time?" Ino nodded "And now you know about Temari and I?" Ino nodded again, forcing back tears now "And you left the rose here?" She nodded vigorously, eyes squeezed shut. Then Shikamaru burst out laughing.

"Hey! Shikamaru! Don't laugh! That's mean!"

"I'm sorry!" he said, still laughing "It's just...how do you get yourself into this stuff?"

"I don't know...now quit laughing! It isn't funny!"

"S-sorry...I can't help it." he giggled, trying to hold back. After a moment he sobered, clearing his throat. "So...you went through all that troublesome stuff for me, huh? What's the big deal all of a sudden? It's just me"

"Ahh" Ino said, turning a little red. "Well...I don't know...I just..."

Ino swallowed and took a deep breath, bracing herself.

"I realized..." she said softly, looking up at him "That I love you, Shikamaru."

"...Ino..." Shikamaru said after a moment of stunned silence "I-"

"But it doesn't matter now. Since you're going out with stupid Pine-" Ino stopped herself "Temari..."

"_Pine_ Temari?"

"Yes, Temari! Pine or not! You're going out with her! So...I don't matter anymore..."

"Ino! Don't say that! I'm not going out with Temari, anyway. Geez, woman. Didn't you hear me the first time I said that?"

"You kissed her, I saw you!" Ino argued, tears coming to her eyes. Shikamaru sighed.

Then he kissed her.

Ino's heart nearly jumped right out of her chest. It definitely wasn't the position she had pictured herself in when she had her first kiss, but it was perfect.

When he pulled away, his cheeks were sightly red, and he avoided her gaze.

"Love is troublesome" he muttered.

"Shikamaru...you..."

"Yeah, I never liked Temari like that. We're just friends. I thought I did, but after kissing her...well...it was like kissing my sister or something. But when I was kissing her, I was thinking of you. I guess that's how I figured it out...about you, and stuff."

"Oh, Shikamaru" Ino said, tears coming to her eyes.

"Geez, will you quit crying? It's like it's raining or something you're crying to much"

Ino laughed "But I'm happy, you dork!" She said, before reaching out awkwardly and kissing him again. He smiled.

"You know, I told her after, about how I didn't like her like that. I thought she was gonna kill me at first, but turns out she thought the same thing. Then I told her about you, and she told me I need to tell you right away. She told me to..."

"To what?" Ino prompted.

"To have some balls" he said, rolling his eyes. Ino giggled.

"Oh, can I get up now?" she said, still lying across the table. Shikamaru chuckled and nodded, helping her up. Then he tangled his hand in hers, kissing her fingers. Ino jumped up and hugged him, smiling happily.

"Come on" she said in a bubbly voice "I have to tell Daddy, or he'll kill you later"

"Yeah, I'd really rather not be attacked by your Dad, thanks"

"Oh, come on Shikamaru!"

"Fine" he said irritably "We've been together five minutes and you're nagging me"

"I'm not nagging I'm trying to save your butt!"

"Okay, okay" Shikamaru said, twining his fingers with hers once again and letting her lead him down the stairs.

"Ino!" Inoichi said when she came down the stairs "You had me worried. Eh? What's this?"

"Daddy" Ino said, taking a deep breath "Shikamaru and I are together now. Don't try to stop us, cause I won't listen" She added onto the end, her face turning fierce.

"Princess..." Inoichi said softly, then he smiled "Hey, Shikamaru, you better take good care of my Ino!"

"No worries, Inoichi-san" Shikamaru said, clenching Ino's hand a little tighter.

"Hooray!" Yoshino burst out, grinning and rushing over to hug Ino. "Good going, Ino-chan! I knew you'd win!"

"Thank you, Yoshino-san"

"You can call me Mom!"

Inoichi spit his drink out over the floor.

"Get something to clean that up, Shikaku!" she snapped at her husband. Shikaku obediently got up and started searching for a dish cloth of some sort, muttering something along the lines of 'That boy has no idea what he's got himself into'.

Inoichi cleared his throat several times before saying "Well, sweetheart, you're certainly better off with him then any of the other boys in the village. That Uchiha boy and the Hyuuga boy are too high and mighty...and the others are too..."

"Crazy?" Yoshino supplied.

"Odd?" Shikaku put in.

"Fruity?" Ino joked.

"Bonkers?" Shikamaru said. Ino smiled a little at the word.

Inoichi shrugged "All of the above"

* * *

A week later, Ino let her father fuss over her before her date.

"Okay, so you're all ready? You don't need anything else? You got some yen? You need a jacket?"

"Dad!" Ino said, stopping him "It's fine, all we have to do is wait for him"

"Okay" he said, settling down into a chair. It wasn't thirty seconds before he started up again "That boy has some nerve to keep you waiting like this! I mean, you've got better things to do then just sit around like that! If he breaks your heart, I'll break his _arm_-"

"_Dad!_" Ino said, stopping him again "I told him eight o'clock, and it's only ten to eight. You're stressing yourself out! Calm down, alright?"

"Okay, okay" Inoichi sighed, settling back again. They waited in silence once again.

Shikamaru arrived five minutes later, smiling when Ino opened the door.

"Hey, Shika-kun!" she said, flinging her arms around him.

"Hey Ino-chan" he said "Gift giving is a drag but...I got something for you"

With that, he pulled a rose out from behind his back and held it out to her.

"Oh" Ino said in surprise, then she smiled softly, and took it from him "Thank you"

She put it in a vase and left it on the shop desk, smiling at it for a moment before returning to Shikamaru to leave.

"Now, listen here, boy" Inoichi said in a stern voice "You better have her back at a sensible time! I won't tolerate it if you bring her back late. In fact, if you bring her back late-"

"_Dad!_" Ino said for the third time that night. She sighed in irritation and embarrassment "Geez, I'll be home on time already, okay?"

"Alright, alright" Inoichi said, crossing his arms.

"Bye, Daddy" Ino said, kissing him on the cheek reassuringly before leaving with Shikamaru.

Inoichi watched the door close behind them, standing there staring at it as a memory from a couple years ago came to his mind.

***

"Geez, Inoichi" Shikaku had said one night "Your girl has gotten so pretty these days. She's all grown up"

"Don't remind me" Inoichi said, taking a sip of sake. Shikaku laughed a little.

"So what do you think about a boy for her, huh? You think she'll end up with my boy?"

"Heh...I don't know." Inoichi replied "Maybe one day, if she can ever see past that Uchiha boy's pretty looks"

"Yeah, Shikamaru ain't as pretty as that boy, for sure. He doesn't care enough to be, anyway." Shikaku said with a shrug, gulping some sake.

Inoichi laughed "He's like you for that. Lazy and all"

"Yeah, he is" Shikaku agreed, then he smiled "Maybe your girl can kick some sense into him."

"I bet she could" Inoichi said, smiling too. "Ino's pretty tough"

"She reminds me of Yoshino sometimes" Shikaku said.

"Yeah, she is a bit like her, isn't she?"

"For sure. I'd bet my...uh" he pasused, glancing around "...right hand they'll be married some day" Shikaku said, saying the first thing his eyes rested on.

"I would too, actually" Inoichi said, grinning at Shikaku's choice of object.

***

Inoichi shook his head a little and turned away, looking at the rose on the counter.

"I guess I just...never expected it to happen so soon." he said to himself before going upstairs "But I guess that just goes to show...we were more right then we thought"

* * *

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